Peddock Capital Advisors LLC Reduces Stock Holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Peddock Capital Advisors LLC lowered its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 4.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 16,408 shares of the company’s stock after selling 715 shares during the quarter. Peddock Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $1,789,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Charles Schwab Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at $214,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.8% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 36,682,866 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,966,029,000 after purchasing an additional 4,731,152 shares during the last quarter. Northern Financial Advisors Inc raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. Northern Financial Advisors Inc now owns 21,106 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,301,000 after purchasing an additional 801 shares during the period. Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc. lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 48.4% in the fourth quarter. Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc. now owns 21,499 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,344,000 after purchasing an additional 7,014 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Apollon Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 30.5% in the fourth quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 98,415 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,729,000 after purchasing an additional 22,991 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.6 %

NYSE:MRK traded down $0.79 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $129.59. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,957,669 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,141,569. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $126.45 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $117.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.25. The company has a market capitalization of $328.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 144.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.39. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $99.14 and a 12 month high of $133.10.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The company reported $2.07 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.13. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 14.15% and a net margin of 3.76%. The firm had revenue of $15.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.21 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.40 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 8.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Joseph Romanelli sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.89, for a total transaction of $124,890.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 19,569 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,443,972.41. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on MRK shares. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $135.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Thursday, April 18th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $148.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. Berenberg Bank upped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $143.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 8th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 2nd. Finally, TheStreet downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “b+” rating to a “c+” rating in a research note on Monday, March 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $131.33.

Merck & Co., Inc. Profile

Merck & Co, Inc operates as a healthcare company worldwide. It operates through two segments, Pharmaceutical and Animal Health. The Pharmaceutical segment offers human health pharmaceutical products in the areas of oncology, hospital acute care, immunology, neuroscience, virology, cardiovascular, and diabetes under the Keytruda, Bridion, Adempas, Lagevrio, Belsomra, Simponi, and Januvia brands, as well as vaccine products consisting of preventive pediatric, adolescent, and adult vaccines under the Gardasil/Gardasil 9, ProQuad, M-M-R II, Varivax, RotaTeq, Live Oral, Vaxneuvance, Pneumovax 23, and Vaqta names.